Worst teams of 2006-2010
The Pirates suffered a miserable half-decade, reaching their nadir in 2010
The Pittsburgh Pirates revived their fortunes during the half-decade from 2011 through 2015, qualifying for the playoffs three times.
But we won’t focus on that period until next Monday. Today’s topic is the stretch between 2006 and 2010, specifically our search for the worst clubs to play during that span. And the Pirates figure prominently in the discussion.
Pittsburgh’s combined record for the half-decade was 321-488, yielding a miserable winning percentage of .397. The worst of those five clubs was the last, the 2010 version of the Pirates, who finished with just 57 wins against 105 losses.
My calculations of team scores (TS) have determined that the 2010 Pirates were worse than any other big-league club in the 2006-2010 period. They finished with just 7.550 points on the 100-point scale — not only the lowest TS in the half-decade, but the third-lowest in the entire Modern Era, which dates back to 1961. (Click here to learn more about team scores.)
I have been examining the era’s worst clubs at five-year intervals every Monday since the beginning of July. Follow these links to see previous installments about the bottom feeders in 1961-1965, 1966-1970, 1971-1975, 1976-1980, 1981-1985, 1986-1990, 1991-1995, 1996-2000, and 2001-2005.
Or you can take a sunnier approach and follow this link to read about the best teams in today’s half-decade, 2006-2010.
The runner-up in today’s standings of the worst teams in that five-year period is the 2006 Kansas City Royals, followed by the 2008 Seattle Mariners, the 2008 Washington Nationals, and the 2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays (as they were then known).
Look below for breakdowns of 2006-2010’s 10 tailenders. Each is listed with its win-loss record and its Modern Era percentile, the percentage of all clubs between 1961 and 2022 that it outperformed. Team scores and additional facts and figures are provided for the period’s five worst clubs.
Subscribe — free — to Baseball’s Best (and Worst)
A new installment will arrive in your email each weekday morning
1. Pittsburgh Pirates (2010)
Record: 57-105
Team score: 7.550 points
Modern Era percentile: 0.1%
Manager: John Russell
Stars: First baseman Garrett Jones led the Pirates in home runs (21) and runs batted in (86), while 23-year-old center fielder Andrew McCutchen set the pace with a .365 on-base percentage. Paul Maholm topped all Pittsburgh pitchers with nine wins.
Bottom line: The 2010 season featured Pittsburgh’s 18th straight year of sub-.500 ball — and its worst record (57-105) during that entire streak. The Pirates showed early promise, winning 18 of their first 40 games, then faded badly. They went 23-57 from June 1 through August 31.
2. Kansas City Royals (2006)
Record: 62-100
Team score: 14.785 points
Modern Era percentile: 1.8%
Manager: Buddy Bell
Stars: Only four Royals reached double digits in home runs, led by third baseman Mark Teahen with 18. Left fielder Emil Brown produced the most RBIs for the club, a total of 81. Starting pitcher Mark Redman somehow fashioned a winning record of 11-10.
Bottom line: Kansas City’s descent didn’t take long. The Royals sank to last place in the American League Central on April 12 and stayed there the rest of the 2006 season. They finished 34 games behind the division-leading Minnesota Twins.
3. Seattle Mariners (2008)
Record: 61-101
Team score: 14.853 points
Modern Era percentile: 1.9%
Manager: John McLaren and Jim Riggleman
Stars: Right fielder Ichiro Suzuki batted .310 and topped the American League with 213 hits. Third baseman Adrian Beltre (25 home runs) and left fielder Raul Ibanez (23 homers, 110 RBIs) enjoyed solid seasons. Felix Hernandez, a 22-year-old pitcher, went 9-11 with a 3.45 ERA.
Bottom line: The Mariners had finished 14 games above .500 in 2007, so their deep dive into last place in the AL West in 2008 came as a shock. The season ended sourly with a 12-game losing streak from mid- to late September.
4. Washington Nationals (2008)
Record: 59-102
Team score: 17.664 points
Modern Era percentile: 3.6%
Manager: Manny Acta
Stars: Shortstop Cristian Guzman posted a .316 batting average. Ryan Zimmerman, a 23-year-old third baseman, hit .283 with 14 home runs. Tim Redding finished with 10 wins, the most for any pitcher on Washington’s staff.
Bottom line: The Nationals didn’t suffer more than 91 losses in any of their first three seasons in Washington. But the fourth year, 2008, ended with a 59-102 record. The Nats endured losing streaks of nine games in April, nine more in July, and 12 straight in August.
5. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2006)
Record: 61-101
Team score: 18.251 points
Modern Era percentile: 3.9%
Manager: Joe Maddon
Stars: Left fielder Carl Crawford led the American League with 58 stolen bases and batted .305. Infielder Ty Wigginton hit 24 homers and drove home 79 runs, topping Tampa Bay in both categories. Pitcher Scott Kazmir posted a 10-8 record with a nice 3.24 ERA.
Bottom line: Nobody in Tampa knew it, but the Devil Rays (soon to have their name shortened) were just two years away from making it to the World Series. Yet 2006 offered no reason to believe in future success. The D-Rays finished last in the AL East for the eighth time in nine years.
Next five
6. Baltimore Orioles (2009), 64-98, 4.3%
7. Washington Nationals (2009), 59-103, 4.7%
8. Seattle Mariners (2010), 61-101, 5.1%
9. Pittsburgh Pirates (2006), 67-95, 5.3%
10. Chicago Cubs (2006), 66-96, 5.6%